February 2023
Melissa
House
,
LPN
Medical/Surgical Unit
Cone Health Wesley Long Hospital
Greensboro
,
NC
United States
This decision was possible thanks in very large part to this nurse’s knowledge and clear, helpful communication.
First of all, this nurse was very observant of my non-verbal son J’s needs and was swift to meet them. She treated them and all our family with great respect. She taught us. This special care was really the baseline for all the nurses, but this nurse went above and beyond. When his group home decided that because of perceived greater needs currently, they would not be able to accept him back, she was surprised (as were we) and our family questioned this. We invited the staff to come and look at J, rather than rely solely on doctors' reports they had received. They came. This nurse took considerable time to answer their questions and clear up their confusion, caused by descriptions of J’s condition in vastly different language, depending on when they were written. (He went from being approved for a hospice facility to being medically stable” in just a few days. This nurse offered them her astute observations and shared the upward progression of his clinical data on the computer. This group home staff left indicating they would share their new understanding with superiors and advise us of their decision. In a few days, word came that they had reconsidered and would indeed be able to welcome J back to his beloved group home, where he has lived for 20 years. This decision was possible thanks in very large part to this nurse’s knowledge and clear, helpful communication. We are profoundly grateful for her exceptional assistance and compassion for J and our family.